1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to moorings for boats and other forms of water craft. More particularly, the present invention relates to a transportable device for off-shore mooring of such crafts.
2. Background of the Prior Art
It has long been a recognized problem that boats and other water craft which are navigated to a shoreline are extremely susceptible to damage from the contact of the vessel with the shore. Even with relatively calm water, the movement of the water on the shore can quickly ruin the hull of a boat left at the water line. In order to avoid this problem, small water craft are often pulled out of the water; larger craft are anchored off-shore, with the occupants wading in to the shore or using a smaller boat such as a jitney. With varying tide levels and shifting currents, either of these solutions often requires regular monitoring of the boat and the water line to assure that a temporarily safe position of a boat remains secure.
Although permanent off-shore moorings are known to provide a secure placement for a vessel, these tend to be expensive and are often not available or practical for some shores. Without such a safe off-shore mooring, fishermen, tourists and others who may want to travel to a particular beach for a day are then faced with having to constantly monitor their crafts. Additionally, in colder northern waters, it is often not desirable or practical to attempt to wade in and out from a water craft in order to adjust its position.
In recognition of these problems, a number of solutions have been proposed to provide an off-shore mooring which can be controlled from the shore. U.S. Pat No. 102,878 issued May 10, 1870, to Steel discloses use of a submerged pulley-driven system which uses cables on the shore to pull a craft to and from an off-shore mooring. Other submerged pulley driven systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,402 issued Nov. 13, 1962, to Vallquist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,838,657 issued Oct. 1, 1974, to Fleming, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,657 issued Jul. 27, 1976, to Kosmatka.
Although these devices may function well for its specific purpose, each are believed to be highly susceptible to serious fouling problems from marine plants and similar debris. In certain areas, the presence of extensive amounts of such debris underwater makes the use of submerged pulleys completely impossible since constant fouling is a certainty. Additionally, a aquatic environment, particularly in salt water, is also known to take a tremendous toll on submerged mechanical parts such as pulleys--leading to on-going maintenance concerns and expenses.
In answer to some of these problems, a number of devices have been developed which attempt to suspend a pulley up out of the water to avoid fouling and lessen maintenance costs. U.S. Pat. No. 632,238 issued Sep. 5, 1899, to Christensen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,049,732 issued Aug. 21, 1962, to Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,336 issued Sep. 25, 1962 to Cook, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,169 issued Nov. 6, 1962, to Cook, all disclose various means to support a pulley and/or boat retrieving line out of the water. Similarly, U. S. Pat. No. 4,353,307 issued Oct. 12, 1982, to Munson discloses means to suspend a pulley out of the water to tow surfers out from the shore.
Although the floating systems may address some of the fouling problems, they are believed to be far too bulky and complex for practical wide-spread use. Moreover, the use of pulleys add to the weight, expense and maintenance of the systems.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a reliable apparatus and method for off-shore mooring of water craft which permits an operator to disembark from his or her water craft on shore and then safely moor the craft off-shore with minimal supervision, permitting the craft to be readily retrieved to the shore whenever needed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus and method which operates at or under the surface of the water but will not foul, even in debris-filled waters.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is extremely durable and requires minimal maintenance, making it suitable for all forms of fresh and salt water environments.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which is of minimal size which can be stored and employed on many forms and sizes of water craft.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can be used with conventional anchors to provide a temporary off-shore mooring virtually anywhere a vessel can be anchored off-shore.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which can be constructed at minimal expense to allow its wide spread availability.
These and other objects of the present invention will become evident from review of the following specification.